On 8/25/2010 1:16 AM, The Ranger wrote:
I only know these things because I "helped" in the remodel of my home. I
fought my Father-unit tooth-and-nail the entire time I was living my
teenangst-riddled years. He didn't know half as much as my friends and if he
was able to provide a sample, I was quick to shoot it down as a poor sample.

As I got older, of course things changed, but I was still too slow to catch
on just how much he knew before he passed on. Saddest day I realized was the
day I called my Sainted Mother(tm) and asked, "So how do I do this again?"

"That was a lesson Dad tried to teach you. You didn't want to listen."



My father *did* lack those mechanical skills with the exception of he
knew how to roof, courtesy of *his* father. But he generally needed to
call an electrician to swap out light bulbs, etc. His VCR always
flashed 12:00.

Amazingly, he had Command Pilot wings and operated 4 engined transports
in the USAF. Of course, there he had a flight engineer to keep things up.

But my dad passed on something more important than mechanical skills
(which I developed just the same, courtesy of curiosity, DIY shows and a
lot of mistakes): a healthy skepticism for what I read and hear. I
can't say that he taught me how to think necessarily but he encouraged
me to examine what I did think for flaws.

It's made me a better man. And I change my own light bulbs, thank you.




Jay